Locals bury the hatchet as Kuwait cries for Gaza

Kuwait: The ongoing Israeli massacres in the Gaza Strip have finally brought the Palestinian question back onto the political scene in Kuwait.

Despite the bitterness Kuwaitis still harbour towards the Palestinians - who supported Iraqi President Saddam Hussain when his forces invaded Kuwait in August 1990 - demonstrations are being organised in the country led by MPs and social groups to express support for the Palestinians in Gaza.

"The Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip is a crime against humanity," MP Adnan Abdul Samad said during a recent rally. Meanwhile, MP Dr Waleed Al Tabatabaei said the ongoing resistance in Gaza is a manifestation of Palestinian bravery. He praised the Palestinians for their courageous stance against the Israeli army.

Kuwaitis accused Palestinians living in the Gulf state at the time of the Iraqi invasion of sympathising with the Iraqi regime or collaborating with it.

About 450,000 Palestinians lived in Kuwait before the Iraqi invasion. Most were expelled or pressured to leave after the liberation in early 1991, and the Palestinian community has fallen to around 9,000.

"Their support for the invaders was a great shock to all Kuwaitis who thought Palestinians would be the first people to stand against the occupation of Kuwait," former oil minister Ali Al Baghly told Gulf News on Tuesday.